News & events

2016-03-08

NordBalt is ready to serve as the pillar of the power system

The NordBalt power interconnection with Sweden will be ready to operate at any time and will support the Lithuanian power system in emergency situations. This was demonstrated by the successful electricity restoration test performed on the night from March 6 to March 7. In the Klaipėda district, 24,000 consumers were provided with electricity from NordBalt only.
 
“NordBalt is a highly efficient guarantee of secure electricity supply, able to assist in the restoration of the electricity supply to consumers, as well as to restart power stations not only in the western part of Lithuania, as it happened last night, but also throughout the entire territory of Lithuania,” said Daivis Virbickas, Chairman of the Board and CEO at Litgrid, the Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator.
 
During the test, part of the electricity was supplied directly through NordBalt to Priekulė, Saugai, Šilutė, Rusnė, Degučiai, Kintai, Vainutai, Švėkšna, Veiviržėnai, Judrėnai, and neighbouring locations. The test lasted 27 minutes with a maximum capacity of 8 MW. For the test, two of the nearest wind farms were disconnected and no Lithuanian power generator was used.
 
The restoration of the system is the renewal of power supply to consumers should there be breakdowns in the power system, or when the supply is disconnected from the entire country, a region, or other large territories, upon losing their connection with neighbouring countries. NordBalt will be helpful in case there is a complete power outage, with no Lithuanian power generators or international lines working. The high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology can help to avoid a negative outcome and restore the power supplied to the consumers.
 
NordBalt connects the two asynchronous power systems of Lithuania and Sweden. Its HVDC converters serve as a firewall in stopping the spread of faults, i.e., ensuring frequency control and saving neighbouring systems.
 
Beyond NordBalt, system restoration services can be delivered by the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant and the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant.
 
The systems restoration function was imposed on the power interconnection for the first time in 1954, when the first high voltage direct current link from the shores of Sweden to Gotland was constructed. Estlink, the Estonian 350 MW interconnection with Finland, can also provide efficient reserve capacities in emergency situations.